The present invention relates generally to exercise equipment, and relates more particularly to weight training equipment.
Exercise devices, and in particular weight training machines, typically include a mechanical member that the user repeatedly moves along a prescribed path for exercise. Conventionally, movement of the mechanical member is resisted in some fashion (often by weights) to render the movement more difficult and thereby intensify the exercise. The movement of the mechanical member determines what muscle or muscle groups are to be involved in the exercise.
One popular exercise movement, both for aerobic and weight training, is the rowing motion, in which a seated exerciser extends his arms to grasp a handle or other grasping device and pulls the handle toward his body. This exercise movement tends to work the muscles of the upper back (such as the middle trapezius, rear deltoids, teres major, latissimus dorsi, and rhomboids) and the biceps.
In one type of rowing weight training machines, the handles grasped by the exerciser are either attached at the end of a cable or belt (often it is a single handle that is grasped with both hands). This configuration enables the user to pull with both hands at once, and to orient the hands so that the palms are either vertical or horizontal. However, with a single handle the user must have both hands oriented in the same direction, and the placement of the hands on the handle defines the vertical plane in which the hands move during the exercise (i.e., the direction of movement of the cable or belt).
Another type of rowing weight training machine has pivoting movement arms to which the grasping handles are attached. This type of machine typically has only a single path of motion available for exercise, and is often limited to a single orientation of the hands during grasping.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a rowing weight training machine that can provide multiple orientations of the hands and multiple vertical planes of movement during exercise, as doing so can exercise different muscles or portions thereof.
The present invention can provide a rowing weight training machine that has the capability of enabling the exerciser to employ multiple hand positions and multiple vertical planes of movement. In certain embodiments, the inventive rowing weight training machine comprises: a frame; a seat assembly attached to the frame; a movement arm pivotally attached to the frame and movable along a generally longitudinal stroke path between a forward position and a rearward position; a resistance-imparting unit operatively connected with the movement arm to provide resistance to the movement arm as it moves from the forward position to the rearward position; a pair of handles to be grasped by an exerciser; and a pair of extension members, each of which is attached to a respective handle such that each handle is free to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the extension member. The extension members are attached to the movement arm (preferably via a universal ball joint) such that each extension member is free to at least partially rotate relative to the movement arm about vertical, longitudinal and transverse axes. Also, the extension members are of sufficient length and the extension members are attached to the movement arm so that the handles can be separated by a distance of at least 24 inches when the movement arm is in the rearward position. In this configuration, the exerciser has the option of performing the basic rowing motion with the hands in any orientation, and can pull the handles along multiple vertical planes to multiple positions in front of the chest and shoulders or outside the chest and shoulders.
In other embodiments, the present invention is directed to an exercise machine that simulates a rowing motion, comprising: a frame; a seat assembly attached to the frame; a movement arm pivotally attached to the frame and movable along a generally longitudinal stroke path between a forward position and a rearward position; a resistance-imparting unit operatively connected with the movement arm to provide resistance to the movement arm as it moves from the forward position to the rearward position; a pair of handles to be grasped by an exerciser; and a pair of extension members, each of which is attached to a respective handle such that each handle is free to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the extension member. The extension members are attached to the movement arm such that each extension member is free to at least partially rotate relative to the movement arm about vertical, longitudinal and transverse axes. Also, a distance between the attachment of each extension member with the movement arm and the attachment of each extension member with its respective handle is between about 8 and 48 inches. In this configuration, the exercise machine can enjoy many of the advantages and benefits discussed above.